


Take A Moment To Breathe

by GhostEyeliner



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
Genre: I made a new rarepair for myself to become obsessed with, M/M, Other Characters Are Mentioned, Takes place the night before the battle against Ashnard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-30
Updated: 2018-03-30
Packaged: 2019-04-14 22:16:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14145753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GhostEyeliner/pseuds/GhostEyeliner
Summary: “You want to hate me, don’t you?”He was right, he was always right. Even when he wished he wasn’t.





	Take A Moment To Breathe

Right before the final battle against Ashnard, the final step of freeing Crimea, there was a unnerving calm within the camp. The air held the unease and fear that clung to every single soldier. Despite Crimea being a country known for its warmth, the breeze felt chilled. Which was probably the main reason besides the mental exhaustion that everyone retired to their tents early tonight. The moon was the sole light in the night sky, as the stars were burnt out. It made the Crimean landscape truly breathtaking. Surely, if it was any other time, the couples in the army would be sneaking out late at night just to view it together, hand in hand.

Giffca had been talking to the Gallian soldiers all night up until now, giving them the rundown of what their role was to be in the battle in Crimea's capital. Upon dismissing them, they all immediately retired for the night themselves. All of them returned to their tents tonight even though some of the beast laguz soldiers normally slept outside due to the tension in the air that was so thick one could swear it physically weighed the soldiers down.

Now that he was free of soldiers and discussions with the other leaders in the army, Giffca sought out a certain man. Someone that he knew he should hate due to him betraying the trust of the Gallia kingdom, yet he couldn't bring himself to. He walked through the campground with a purpose, acknowledging people's greetings with a simple nod.

Upon reaching the tent that he was searching for, he lifted the flap up and walked in without warning. As expected, the person he had been wanting to see was here. Nasor currently sat cross-legged on his cot dressed only in his undershirt and breeches. His bright blue hair was untied which allowed a person to see how curly his hair naturally was as it framed his face, bringing out the dark ocean blue shade of his eyes. He seemed to be lost in thought, a finger twirling a strand of hair.

“Nasir,” Giffca's voice was naturally low pitched and thus sometimes scared people who hadn't heard him speak before. Though over the centuries of knowing each other, Nasir wasn't fazed at all by the sudden voice.

“Hmm,” he turned his head to look at him. “Yes, Giffca?”

“We need to…”

“Talk?” When Giffca nodded, Nasir continued. “If you wish to, I'm open to discussion,” with that, Giffca moved to be standing beside the cot. With a hand, Nasir gestured for the lion laguz to sit on the cot as well, which he did without any hesitation which got an soft huff of amusement from Nasir.

“Nasir, about you having been a triple agent”

“You must hate me, for using your trust in such a way,” he paused and studied Giffca's face. For a beast laguz, he was surprisingly hard to read. Most people thought he was in fact emotionless when that wasn't true in the slightest. Although compared to a dragon laguz, he figured he must be an open book. As he could never figure them any of them out, even after knowing them for centuries. He didn’t know how to read Nasir despite being as close as one could possibly be with another royal retainer before the dragon left Goldoa. “Or at least, you want to hate me”

He stayed silent because Nasir was right. Even though he should hate him. Even now after all this, his heart is still fond of him. Incredibly fond, one might call it love even. But he wouldn't, he and Nasir had a respectful friendship based on their similar loyalties and positions, well past loyalties in the case of Nasir and that was it. Nothing more, nothing less. Even though their relationship had never extend beyond that, he wouldn’t speak of his feelings of fondness for the dragon laguz to anyone else. Cause only the goddess knows how quickly a rumour would be thrown around Gallia, and once Ranulf heard of it, it would be the end of him.

“You wish you did, don’t you?”

“How do you figure that?”

“When you’re conflicted about something, your ears and left brow twitch slightly,” a look of stunned confusion was all the answer Nasir got. How did he notice something that even Giffca himself didn't know he did? Was that a talent all dragon laguz had or was it just a talent of Nasir’s? “You either want to hate me but yet somehow you can’t or you hate me and for some bizarre reason wish you didn’t. Considering who you are,” a soft smile graced his features, although if it was genuine was something Giffca couldn’t find the answer to. “I presume it’s the former. You’re far too loyal to be willingly forgiving of a traitor of your trust. Or more importantly, your king’s trust”

“I just want answers. Why do it? What possible benefits could come from assisting Ashnard?”

Nasir shook his head and sighed ever so softly before he spoke. “It was for Ena”

“Your granddaughter?” To hear that another dragon had some sort of business with Daein and more particularly Ashnard was quite shocking. “What does the Mad King have to do with her?”

“Her fiancé, Rajaion-”

“As in Prince Rajaion?”

“The very same,” again he smiled. But even without knowing how to read him, he knew it _had_ to be disingenuous. “Ashnard, he corrupted Rajaion. Made him a feral in other words”

“Those laguz who can’t shift back?”

“Yes, those poor souls who’ve lost themselves,” didn’t Ike and his companions find out where the feral ones were being made? Didn’t that hold any answers about how to help Rajaion? He figured he would ask Nasir later though. “Because of Rajaion’s corruption, Ena sought out a way to cure him and she eventually found me and asked me if I was willing to help her. Of course I said yes without hesitation. That help eventually involved me being the eyes and ears for Daein”

“Is that it?”

“Yes, I betrayed everyone’s trust for her sake, I just want her to be happy. She’s the only family I have left, and goddess forbid I would let her suffer without trying to help”

“Yet you didn’t wish to use our trust against us?”

“Of course not, if not for Rajaion and his state. I would never have done anything for Ashnard”

“You weren’t happy doing it. So why? Why go so far for her?”

“I already told you-“

“Weren’t you suffering by being a spy for Daein? Isn’t suffering the last thing you wanted with Ena?”

“... you’re trying to say I’m hypocritical”

“It’s not trying if it’s true”

“My,” his gaze actually relaxed for the first time since they started talking. Giffca looked closely at his face. While he didn’t see anything that would tip him off as to how Nasir was currently doing mentally, he did observe other things. Such as how heavy and dark the bags under his eyes were, the source of the exhaustion he didn’t know for sure, but Giffca assumed that being a triple agent for quite awhile was mentally and physically tasking for anyone, even an unemotive dragon like Nasir. He wondered if Nasir had gotten a peaceful rest since the war started. “Look at you. You never used to talk like that. Did that pupil of yours rub off on you?”

“Perhaps so”

“Perhaps?” He echoed back. “It’s unlike you to be uncertain on such a thing”

“Everything that's happened this last year has been uncertain, no one could have guessed things would turn out this way”

“Hmm, I guess you're right. But,” a tone of pondering was present in his voice. “I do wonder if things could've been different. Perhaps if Goldoa had attacked Daein after what Ashnard did to Rajaion,” his gaze was distant, as if he wasn’t really paying attention to the man that sat in front of him. “This conversation would never have to have happened”

“What happened to make Rajaion go to Daein?”

“Ahhh, that is very confidential,” he lightly chuckled, though it was obvious that it wasn’t out of anything resembling amusement. “Even I’m not supposed to know the truth of it”

“So,” his disappointment was clear in his voice, which Nasir sighed heavily upon hearing that tone. “You expect me to just accept that as an answer?” He could’ve said that everyone wanted to know the full story of what had led to Nasir’s betrayal, but he knew that the majority of the beorc’s, including their commander Ike had already forgiven his past transgression. Really he just wanted to know why Nasir was being so secretive with him, they had built up a bond that he thought would never be tested over all the centuries of coming to know and trust one another. The idea that Nasir would willingly withhold information from him was a thought that never crossed his mind. If he had to put the feeling he felt into words, he guessed it would be betrayed. Yes, that was the perfect word to use for this.

“Giffca, I’m not supposed to know anything regarding the royal family from the last century. The fact I know this is only due to Ena being engaged to Rajaion”

“You left Goldoa that long ago?” He knew that Nasir had been gone for years, but for a whole century? It just didn’t seem possible.

“Yes I did,” he smiled softly at Giffca. “It doesn’t seem that long does it? Centuries surely do pass us by so fast”

“So you can tell me nothing?”

Nasir briefly brought his hand up so he could rest his chin on it, his gaze upward, as if he was trying to recall something from his memory. “I will tell you the basic story, I at least owe you that. Almedha, she had a child with Ashnard-“

“I beg your pardon. Not only did she leave but she had a child with Ashnard of all people?”

“Yes from what I’ve been told, that’s the story. She left Goldoa cause she too was unsatisfied with how her father was adamant with Goldoa’s continued isolation. She met Ashamed and somewhere down the line a child was conceived. That child was then used as a hostage, as bait for the royal family and Rajaion wanted to save the child of his sister, a noble cause. But we both know how that story ends,” he took a breath before locking eyes with Giffca. “Tell me, was that enough for you?”

“Yes, thank you”

“It’s nothing”

“So tomorrow, we match to Crimea’s capital and fight Ashnard himself,” he didn’t want to create awkward silence between the two of them, so he immediately changed the subject of discussion. “That Ike fellow, isn’t he the only beorc who will be able to even harm Ashnard?”

“Yes, the armor that he wears is blessed by the goddess herself. Therefore normal Beroc weapons cannot harm him”

“And what happens if he can’t defeat him? If Ike can’t do it, what then?”

Upon asking this question, Nasir’s expression turned grim. His stare was such that someone who only knew the eternally smiling persona that Nasir currently used would feel their blood turn cold under it. “If that happens,” his voice almost possessed a growl to it, something that he had never heard Nasir do before. Even though it was natural thing for dragon laguz to do, Nasir and those close to and including the Goldoan royal family themselves normally held back their natural dragonic instincts. “I’ll kill him myself”

“I see, you’re serious about this”

“I can’t forgive him!” The emotion he heard in Nasir’s voice was quite frankly startling, he never thought him to be capable of something so raw, so authentic sounding. “Not after what he did to our laguz brothers, not after all that Ena went through because of him!”

“Nasir-“

“You’re going to tell me to calm down correct? That it’s not right to allow myself, a dragon get mad over anything, am I right?”

“I’m just, not used to seeing you like this. Beorc’s must’ve rubbed off on you”

“You say that like it’s a fatal flaw, and besides. This isn’t going to become a habit”

“You simply think Ashnard deserves your hatred?”

“You would too if you saw what happened to the laguz he had captured in the Tower of Gritnea. Gods, the corpses of those poor souls who everyone knows didn’t pass in peace, it must’ve been so painful for them. I’m sure Ranulf told you what we witnessed there”

“Yes he did, and from what I heard, I share your disgust”

“Count your blessings that you didn’t have to see it with your own eyes. Ranulf took it very hard in particular, I hope he was alright when he talked with you”

“He seemed alright. Don’t underestimate him just because he’s sympathetic towards beorc, he’s a very capable warrior, and that includes his ability to bounce back from witnessing horrors such as that”

“I never did doubt him. He’s a good man. I can see why you made him your pupil”

He nodded in acknowledgment at the dragons assessment. “Nasir”

“Yes?”

Without even thinking about it, he moved an arm to wrap around Nasir, bringing him closer. The dragon's head now rested against his chest, Nasir then slowly uncrossed his legs to make himself more comfortable. Besides a small noise of surprise at the sudden motion, he seemed to be content with staying put. His eyes soon shut, showing that he was as relaxed and off guard as he would ever allow himself to be.

Giffca decided to let the peaceful silence remain for a few more moments before he broke it. “Ashnard’s breathing his last breath tomorrow”

A soft chuckle came from Nasir, although the sound of it was muffed due to his face still resting up against Giffca’s chest. “Of course, none of us want Ashnard to even live after his defeat. Not after what he’s done. That madman will get his rightful judgement before the goddess”

“Without a doubt,” after that, he and Nasir stayed in their positions, neither of them finding the need to move. It was, nice to be like this again. This calm was something they hadn’t had between them for far too many years, it was something that Giffca welcomed back into his life with open arms. It reminded him of back when they would see each other whenever their king’s would met with one another along with the other royal laguz. The retainers were always allowed to go talk amongst themselves. He knew the two hawk retainers always flied around close by, gossiping to each other about whatever news was most recent. While he and Nasir generally had quiet talks in secluded corners or rooms about whatever came to mind, often times they had taken positions similar to the ones they currently had.

While he knew he shouldn’t be so forgiving of Nasir for betraying so many people, no matter his intentions, he couldn’t bring himself to hate him. He was far too fond of the dragon laguz to ever entrain the idea of truly hating him. No, it was more than simple fondness at this point. Centuries ago, it was fondness and nothing more. But now? He had to admit it.

It was love.

**Author's Note:**

> I thought of this rarepair and now it’s consuming my life even though no one cares about these characters.


End file.
